Leicester City’s 5-2 demolition of Manchester City stuns the footballing world, as a Pep Guardiola team succumbs to 5 goals for the first time ever with Jamie Vardy the only player to score a hat trick against any of the Spaniard’s teams. Oh and the Fox has done it twice!
An eruption rippled across the footballing world on the 27th September 2020 and at the epicentre of it was the Etihad. Stumbling back to the changing room the sky blue contingent were left shell shocked at how easily they were ripped open. Even the most ardent Leicester City fan would have been hard pressed to predict a Leicester win, let alone one with such an emphatic score line. Manchester City were quite simply, annihilated!
Even the 2015/16 team didn’t start with 3 wins in a row. Nevertheless, before we all start dreaming, what three things did we learn most from one of the most shocking results in the Premier League era?
Brendan Rodgers’ tactical nous is growing
"“If you watch my sides over the years, i don’t play counter attacking football” – Brendan Rodgers"
Brendan Rodgers has clearly been doing some soul searching. After last season’s poor showing against the eventual top four finishers (6 defeats, 2 draws, 0 wins), it was plainly obvious that Leicester’s possession style and high press wasn’t going to work against Manchester City anymore. Pep has his team well drilled at finding pockets of space and playing between the lines. The higher they get pressed the more those pockets and lines appear. So what did Brendan do next?
Lining up with a back 5 (arguably 5-4-1 but seemingly a 5-3-2 on occasions with Barnes joining Vardy) Brendan had his team allow Ederson all the space he needs at the back whilst the team effectively sat off and allowed Man City to have the possession whilst denying them space through the middle. That way Leicester occupied key spots in the field and invited the Citizens to press high and leave space in behind with a counter attack – yes that’s right – Leicester City are going back to counter attacking football!
First half Leicester were arguably hanging on in the game but at 1-0 down against anyone in the Premier League and you’ve still got a chance, unlike last season the team stayed calm and showed mental resilience despite trailing. Pep’s team were subsequently lulled into a false sense of security as they constantly switched off, allowing the new powerhouse wing-backs Justin and Castagne to expose them down the flanks. The penalty equaliser would only have served to annoy them more, but Pep and his team still failed to show Brendan’s boys the respect they deserved and it cost them dearly.
WIth Manchester City’s squad themselves lacking fitness and depth and starting to tire, the East Midlanders smelled blood and went for the jugular in the second half by pressing higher in midfield & attacking the flanks at the right times to overload an inexperienced defence. Castagne’s assists from the right are becoming a feature of the season already and the 25 million pounds is already looking money well spent.
But don’t underestimate James Justin’s contribution on the left, a nuanced performer who is growing his footballing brain better from game to game, his judgement on when to attack and sit was spot on much to the frustration of Mahrez and co. Leicester attacked the spaces and were clinical, Vardy’s second goal was a touch of class like his debut England goal, Maddison struck a spectacular long range effort and the penalties were gobbled up by Vardy and Tielemans to leave Guardiola’s boys floored.
Maybe it was Rodgers stubbornness with his insistence on possession play, but allowing Leicester to cameo their old counter-attacking style when necessary could be the key to a successful season. The other top 4 teams will certainly be second guessing how they take the Foxes on in future which will only be a good thing. Maybe the smaller teams may retreat further to the edge of their boxes.
Either way Rodgers will have struck fear into the Premier League as they continue to outscore themselves week on week. All this without two of the best players currently sidelined. Leicester can still get better!
Sacrificing Carabao Cup crucial for win
Anyone who had the misfortune of sitting through the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday would have found little comfort in an impending trip to the team supported by the Oasis brothers. But not in the same way that band split, Rodgers split the squad to carefully manage through a tricky run of fixtures. With Daniel Amartey the only player starting in both games (and what a great sight it is to see the Ghanaian international back in action) at the back, this afforded the legs and minds of most of the first eleven to be ready for Sunday to conserve their energy.
That was particularly evident in the second half as Pep’s boys tired and Brendan’s found a second breath. This wouldn’t have been possible if Rodgers spread the team too thin in the cup and asked them to put a shift in of sitting back and waiting for a counter.
Not to say that Rodgers didn’t want to progress in the cup but sacrifices will sometimes need to be made. With Praet, Evans and Vardy hobbling off the pitch in the second half, more injuries may loom and the only way to reduce that will be careful management of games.
The fixture congestion has not even got in full swing yet and this planning could well be an indication of how Rodgers manages European football. Potentially having two different teams training for different games during the weeks. It will be a huge challenge. But if certain games have to be to be sacrificed for results like thrashing the former Premier League champions, i’m sure many Leicester fans will be fine with it.
The Importance of penalties
The 2019/20 season will not only be remembered for two very contrasting runs of form, but also for some of the worst penalty decisions in Leicester’s history (yes i include Erland Johnsens dive in that). The handballs that were not given last season were truly baffling to say the least – head to my twitter account if you don’t believe me @LCFC1884VERDICT – and played a crucial part in Leicester’s spectacular collapse.
Likewise Manchester United were afforded some incredibly fortunate penalty decisions that contributed massively towards their own spectacular rise to the Champions League places. This isn’t me crying over spilt milk – well, not entirely – but it does serve to demonstrate how important penalties are in football. How many times have you said in the past, “we could have had three penalties today”
and then not even be given one. Today all three penalties were fouls, no complaints. Michael Oliver gave them, they were checked by VAR and all stood. This isn’t fortune, this is a team getting what they deserve.
Unlike last season when Kevin De Bruyne literally slapped the ball with his hands at the King Power last season and then proceeded to get a penalty later on for the exact same thing. Add this to Ederson double punching Iheanacho in the head in the same game causing him concussion. No penalties were given to Leicester that night in a defeat, who knows what could have happened?!?
Which is really the point, penalties are being given out frequently already this season, Leicester already have five with only three games played. If penalties were given when they should have been last season, Leicester City would very likely have had more points towards Champions League qualification and may have got to their first cup final for twenty years.
Penalties are crucial: they can be the difference between a 2-2 draw and a 5-2 win, the difference between 7 points or 9, the difference between 6th place or top of the league.